Match-shooting pistol.



no; 746,542. PATENTED DEG. 8,1903.

J. J. MARSHALL. MATCH SHOOTING PISTOL.

APPLIdATION I'ILED MAR. 27, 1903.

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UNITEDv STATES Patented December 8, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

Jenn J. MARSHALLOF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

MATCH-SHOOTING ,PISTOL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 746,542, dated December 8, 1903.

Application filed March 27, 1903, serial No. 149,820. (No model-l T0 or whom it may, concern:

, Be it known that I, JOHN J. MARSHALL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Kansas Gity, inthe county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Match-Shooting Pistols or Guns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to toy pistols or guns, and more especially to a device of this characterfor shooting matches of the parlor type-that is, matches provided with explosive heads; and my object is to produce a device of this character which operates efficiently and reliably and which is of simple To this end the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and combinations of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 represents in side elevation a single-barrel match-shooting pistol embodying my invention, said figure being partly in section. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a pistol provided with a cylinder to permit several matches to be successively exploded and discharged without reloading. Fig. 3 is a section taken on the dotted line III of Fig. 1.

In the said drawings, 1 designates the grip or stock portion of a pistol or gun; 2, the trigger-guard; 3, the trigger therein to release the hammer at in the usual or any preferred manner, and 5 the barrel, the pistol shown in Fig. 2 being provided with the customary revolving cylinder 6 instead of the barrel only, as shown in Fig. 1, the latter being adapted, preferably, for shooting the standard-size woodsplint match, whereas the cylinder-pistol is headed wax matches, though, of course, by making thecylinder sufficiently long the standard-size match can be accommodated.

The pistol shown in Fig. 1 instead of having the barrel pivotally supported, as at 7, from the stock will preferably be cast in halves in a manner customary with toy pistols, these halves beingriveted together, though the detail construction is unimportant as regards this invention. At the rear end of the barnear by.

rel and at the rear end of each chamber of the cylinder is formed a circular flange 8, having its inner wall tapering forwardly, so as to provide a conical passage 9 of greater dia meter at its rear end or base and of slightly smaller diameter at its front end orapex than the barrel or cylinder-passage, with which it registers, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2, the construction described enabling the operator to slip a match into the barrel or cylinder until the head of the match lies wholly within chamber 9, and by engagement with the contracted'end of such chamber arrest further forward movement until its head has been crushed by the hammer, the latter having its firing-point 10 of such proportion and form as to almost completely fill chamber 9 and close comunication between the same and the registering barrel or cylinder-passage. The

hammer is furthermore provided with an annular flange 11, concentrically surrounding point 10, and adapted when the latter occupies chamber 9 to fit snugly around fiange'8 for a purpose which hereinafter appears.

In action, assuming that a match is dis- .posed, as shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2, and that the trigger is pulled, the hammer is swung violently forward, its pin 10 coming in contact with the match-head at the moment the flange 11 begins to overlap flange 8 vin'order that there shall be no possibility of pieces of the match-head, whether burning or not, flying rearwardly or laterally and possibly injuring the eyes or setting fire to the wearingapparel of the operator or others standing The stroke of the hammer obviously crushes and explodes the head of the match, the action being so quick that ignition does not take place until its head has been forced out of chamber 9 and into the registering passage. The force of the hammer-stroke is intended to be sufficient to not only almost instantaneously crush, and therefore explode, the match-head, but strike the match with sufficient force to drive it from fiveto twenty feet through the air, the force of expulsion being increased because of the .pressure generated rearward of the match by the explosion,

the joint being the hammer-point and the exerted in a forward direction, and therefore assist in the discharge of the match. The latter escapes from the pistol or gun so quickly that in the majority of instances its flame is not at once extinguished, but continues to burn for the greater portion of the travel of the match and at night produces a very pleasing effect.

In Fig. 2 I have shown the matchstem passage as enlarged at its junction with the match-head chamber to provide a combustion-chamber 12, wherein the match will have a better opportunity to ignite almost at the same instant that the explosion take place, said chamber being of conical forwardly-tapering form, so that its base shall form an abrupt wall and, in conjunction with the hammer-point, a resistance-surface to prevent the backflow of gas, which thus in a more marked degree than where such chamber is not provided cooperates with the stroke of the hammer in expelling the match.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a toy pistol or gun for firing matches which operates without danger to the operator or to children who might be in the firing-line, and while I have illustrated and described the preferred convstruction of the invention as applied to singlebarrel and cylinder pistols, it is to be understood that it may be used in pistols or rifles of other types and may be modified in some particulars without departing from the essential spirit and scope or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A match-shooting pistol or gun, having a chamber communicating with the rear end of the match-stem-holding bore or passage, said chamber being adapted to receive the head of the match and of smaller diameter than such head, at its front end, and having the rear end of said match-holding bore or passage diametrically enlarged to provide a combustion-chamber of greater diameter at its base or rear end than the contracted portion of the first-named chamber.

2. A match-shooting pistol or gun, having an annular flange rearward and concentric of the match-stem-holding bore or passage, and forming a chamber communicating with the rear end of said bore or passage, and adapted to receive the head of the match; said chamher being of less diameter at its point of communication with said bore or passage than the match-head, in combination with an annular wall projecting forwardly from the hammer and adapted to fit over said flange, and a firing-point also projecting forwardly from the hammer centrally of said wall, and adapted to enter said match-head chamber to explode the match-head and drive the match forwardly through said bore or passage and out of the pistol or gun.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN J. MARSHALL.

Witnesses:

H. O. RODGERS, G. Y. THORPE. 

